Lady Stuff

On a Winfrey Family Vacation a couple of years ago (which took place on/near a mountain and involved staying in a cabin, as do all Winfrey Family Vacations), Alex brought along a book called Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me. The book consisted of (mostly) humorous essays by comedians, writers, and comedy writers about, you guessed it, the things they learned from the women who dumped them. I brought along East of Eden, because I entertained foolish hopes of using the car time to work my way through a classic. I ended up not even opening East of Eden and instead reading Alex's book when he finished it. A lot of my favorite comedians were represented (notably, David Wain, whose contribution was among my favorites) and I enjoyed the book.
After I'd finished it, Alex asked if it was weird to read a whole book chronicling mens' relationships experiences (and it was all men...no lesbians allowed here!). Well, no. Actually, it wasn't weird, because welcome to the whole wide world of comedy, film, and literature. While I consciously and unconsciously seek out the work of female comedians, writers, and directors, there's no denying that even underground/independent art forms are predominantly male. Of course, this isn't really anyone's fault, and it isn't even inherently bad. Like I said, I really enjoyed Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me. But did I feel like the book was intended for me? Did I feel like I was in on the joke? No way. But that's okay.
When I read Julie Klausner's fantastic book I Don't Care About Your Band, I thought "Finally! It's Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me, but for women!" It was everything the other book had been: witty, smart, in turns hilarious and heartbreaking. But this time, I didn't feel like I was sitting in the corner watching everyone else have fun. Julie Klausner was a woman making astute pop-culture references and identifying with a Muppet. She was funny, and she didn't have to pretend to be a man in order to get a laugh.
All of this is one big rambling way of saying that Julie Klausner is on one of our favorite podcasts, The Sound of Young America. TSOYA has had interviews in the past with some of my favorite smart, funny ladies (Miranda July, Charlyne Yi, Sloane Crosley, Maria Bamford) as well as lots of smart, funny men. The best part of this interview is that Julie Klausner comes across as a very nice person, because as you know, Alex and I have a hard time liking a comedian if they seem mean-spirited. Julie Klausner also compares her book to Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me, saying, "I didn't dump you. You were terrible, and then you disappeared."
Truly a woman after my own heart.

Saul Bass

Saul Bass is awesome.

Alton Brown

Alton Brown is a weird character. Some people love him, some people (Mother Winfrey) hate him. He's definitely got his own thing. Anyway, there was a pretty good interview with him on the A.V. Club where he talks about foodies ruining food and how he's not a chef.

Awfully good.

One of the great tragedies of my life is that I've never seen a John Waters movie. Well, sorry. It's not like we have some sort of hip video rental place around here, and I've never been able to illegally download movies (it feels weird! Can't I have morals in one area of my life?). So until I break down and buy some John Waters movies, or make friends with people who have great DVD collections, I will just admire him from afar. This interview is pretty great! You learn all about the things he hates, which include but are not limited to iceberg lettuce (offensive) and clogs. Plus, you know how Winfreys love old Letterman interviews.

I want that book.

This Guy

I'm not at all excited about Inglorious Bas-turds. I have never been excited about it, and now that it is almost out, I don't care at all. I think it's cool that it has such a weird cast. BJ Novak, Paul Rust, Samm Levine, and Mike Myers? Unfortunately, that is not enough to get me to go see this movie (unless my dad wants to go). At this point, the only person I care less about than Quentin Tarantino is Eli Roth, and I keep seeing his dumb face everywhere. Check out this great interview with him on the A.V. Club. Keep it to yourself, Eli Roth.

D. Lynch

Just making sure you guys have been following this.  Make sure you at least watch the Tommie Holliday episode.  Keep on truckin', David Lynch.

Read This

It's an interview with Zach Galifianakis.  There's also a funny video to watch.  It was a nice way to end the evening after watching The Pianist while my roommate pranced around and watched the Cavs game.  

GREGO MOTTOLA-O

The AV Club had a really nice interview with Greg Mottola, who I still think is a really cool dude.  Since the Winfrey family is such a fan of his latest film (and probably his next one, too) I figured I would post his interview.  Enjoy.